(a) Next generation of researchers initiative There shall be established within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health , the Next Generation of Researchers Initiative (referred to in this section as the “Initiative”), through which the Director shall coordinate all policies and programs within the National Institutes of Health that are focused on promoting and providing opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence. (b) Activities The Director of the National Institutes of Health , through the Initiative shall— (1) promote policies and programs within the National Institutes of Health that are focused on improving opportunities for new researchers and promoting earlier research independence, including existing policies and programs, as appropriate; (2) develop, modify, or prioritize policies, as needed, within the National Institutes of Health to promote opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence, such as policies to increase opportunities for new researchers to receive funding, enhance training and mentorship programs for researchers, and enhance workforce diversity ; (3) coordinate, as appropriate, with relevant agencies, professional and academic associations, academic institutions, and others, to improve and update existing information on the biomedical research workforce in order to inform programs related to the training, recruitment, and retention of biomedical researchers; and (4) carry out other activities, including evaluation and oversight of existing programs, as appropriate, to promote the development of the next generation of researchers and earlier research independence. (July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 404M, as added Pub. L. 114–255, div. A, title II, § 2021(a) , Dec. 13, 2016 , 130 Stat. 1051 .)